


Slave of Duty

by Dorksidefiker



Category: Guardians of Childhood - William Joyce, Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-28
Updated: 2013-03-23
Packaged: 2017-11-27 05:57:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 15,952
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/658708
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dorksidefiker/pseuds/Dorksidefiker
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>North has a cunning plan, Mother Nature has a temper and a lot of issues, and Jack doesn't think anyone should have to be alone.</p><p>No one asked what Pitch thinks of all this, but he's sure to make his opinion known.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the Rise of the Guardians Kink Meme, source of far too many plot bunnies.

Jack Frost was in a storm cloud, and he wasn't alone. _Something_ was circling him like a shark, illuminated only briefly by a flash of lightning before disappearing again. Jack tried to keep hold of both his staff and the tin of cookies Phil had thrust on him before sending out into the storm. A thermos rested in the pouch of his hoodie, safe and secure even as the winds swirled restlessly around Jack. He thought he saw butterflies in the flashes of lightning, but that was just too weird, even for him.

"If Phil thinks he can bribe me into turning this storm back," _something_ hissed, "then he's in for a grave disappointment-" Jack popped open the tin – there were _cookies!_ He was gonna turn that yeti into an ice sculpture for this! "Are those... cinnamon raisin?"

"Still warm from the oven," Jack confirmed, plucking one of the cookies from the tin and popping it into his mouth. The tin was snatched out of his hands, sending Jack spinning briefly before the wind caught him again.

"Ooooh, that sneaky-" The woman's dressed blended into the clouds, with pale skin and a cloud of black hair the only things clearly visible, and Jack doubted he'd have been able to spot that much if she disappeared back into the cloud. "Where's the drink? He always sends a drink with the bribe." She turned suddenly to face Jack, grey eyes narrowing.

"Phil just sent me with the cookies," Jack insisted innocently. A hail stone the size of an apple wizzed past his ear, and the woman held out her hand expectantly.

"The next ones won't miss."

Jack pulled out the thermos, a slow smirk spreading. "For someone who doesn't think she can be bribed-"

The second hailstone smacked into Jack's hand, sending the thermos tumbling through the open air. The woman caught it quickly, unscrewing the cap and sniffing. "Praise be, he remembered how much I loathe egg nog." The cap went back on with a businesslike twist of her wrist. "You tell Phil that he's won this round, but this storm can't be put off forever. This side of the mountain is long overdue." She disappeared into the storm cloud which rolled back from whence it came, leaving Jack alone, confused, and nursing an aching hand.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Phil wasn't the least bit sorry, declaring Jack a big baby after giving the hand a cursory examination. He was more interested in his offering having been accepted, and he was pleased. North came sweeping through the Workshop like a great wind, sweeping Jack up in his wake while Phil escaped the rightful freezing that had been coming his way. "So, you have met Mother Nature, and she has not zapped you with the lightning!" He clapped Jack on the shoulder hard enough to make him stumble.

"So you knew Phil was setting me up!"

Oh, a dark and terrible vengeance was going to fall on North's Workshop...

"Set up? There was no set up! I decided it was best you meet Mother Nature with a peace offering, so she does not make with the lightning to tender parts. No hail against my windows is only bonus." North spread his arms expansively. "Last time we beat Pitch, stones the size of small horses! He is very sore spot for her," he added in a confidential tone, draping a beefy arm around Jack's shoulders, "so it seemed like a good idea to make the first meeting friendly."

"You call hitting me with _hail_ 'friendly'?" Jack demanded, holding up his injured hand.

North took Jack's wrist and looked at the hand. "For her? Very. I think the cookies helped," he went on, mostly to himself. "I will remember to keep some on hand when I take out the sleigh." North focused his full attention on Jack once more. "Nothing broken, and the bruise will fade."

Jack jerked his hand away, shaking it out. "You gonna tell me why Mother Nature would throw lightning and hail at us over Pitch?" he wanted to know. "Or is it one of those things you guys always forget to fill me in on because I'm not a million years old?"

And there were a lot of things the other Guardians were very _bad_ about explaining. They had centuries of history together, and that added up to a lot of stories. For instance, Jack _still_ didn't know why Bunnymund and the Groundhog loathed each other, just that it was 'an old story no one felt like hearing repeated'. This had the feeling of being one of _those_ stories.

North looked sad for a moment, glancing away from Jack and towards the sky. It was still light out, but Jack could just barely see the outline of the moon in the sky. "It is our oldest story," North mused, "and when it is told, Mother Nature's part is usually left out. I think this is how she likes it, but who can say?" North studied the sky, stroking his beard thoughtfully. "Now, long before there were Guardians, or Manny, or even Pitch Black, there was a Golden empire out there among the stars. This empire, it dedicated itself to destroying or capturing all the great horrors of the universe. The Dream Pirates, the Fearlings, the great Abyssals, they hunted them all, and leading this hunt was their greatest general. This general, he was wise and brave and perfect, the way they are in the stories. And they say he was like this because he was fighting for the most important of causes; his little girl."

North herded Jack towards his office as he continued the story, gesturing theatrically as he went. "It was a great and terrible war, but with that great general leading the way, they did win. All the Fearlings and Nightmares were locked into an impenetrable prison with only one door, and the general was made it's guard. Which was all well and good in the short term, but in the long... not so much. Because the general was still a papa, you understand, and he missed his little girl very much. And Fear, it has it's way of finding the cracks and slipping in."

"I think I see where this story is going." And Jack could, too. "The Nightmares got to him and – what, they got him to let them out?"

"And then they ate him all up," North confirmed, "from the inside out."

"Turning the general into Pitch Black-"

"Who then terrorized the universe until Manny stopped him. By then, he had destroyed the empire and all it's people, except for a scattered few. The general's daughter, she came following in Pitch's wake, and when she saw what had happened, she said 'I will stay here too'. No one is really sure why." North's whole body rippled with his shrug. "She does not fight on Pitch's side, but she does not fight against him either. Mostly, she is just Mother Nature – she calls the tune, the seasons dance to it, and she keeps herself to herself."

"Except for the hail and the lightning," Jack reminded him dryly. North made a noise of reluctant agreement as they reached his office. Through the window, Jack could see a storm raging on a distant mountain peak. _Enjoying the cookies?_ he wondered.

"She is very old," North reminded him, "and being alone for as long as she has can make a person very strange indeed."

Lightning danced in the distant storm, and Jack made a vague noise of agreement. He never noticed North's pleased little smile as he drummed his fingers on his gut.


	2. Chapter 2

_No one ever sees the snowball coming._  
  
Of course, who would be expecting a snowball to the back of the head in the middle of a rainstorm in May? Certainly not Mother Nature, who'd been whipping it up into a real blow.  
  
Jack had thought long and hard about his plan (a whole five minutes, a record for him).  
  
By Jack's way of thinking, no one should have to be alone. Not even people who didn't think they could be bribed and hit other people with hail for no good reason. And it wasn't like Jack had anything more important to be doing; winter was over, and spring was well underway. He could hang around Tooth and help her and the girls out, or harass Bunny... but this was _way_ more interesting.  
  
The snowball hit Mother Nature right in the back of her head, sending icy bits of slush dripping down the high neck of her gown. Three centuries had taught Jack that everyone reacted much the same way when they had a slushy snowball dripping down their back, even if you _were_ a powerful nature spirit. Mother Nature froze with a tiny gasp, then she _shuddered_ from the tips of her toes to the top of her head. She turned sharply, using the wind to move more gracefully than even Jack could manage, bloodless lips pulled back in an outraged snarl--  
  
Jack threw his second snowball and got her right in the face.  
  
Long black hair whipped about in the wind like a nest of snakes as Mother Nature raised both hands, wiping slush from her face. The snarl was gone, replaced with a careful blankness that didn't reach her eyes. The butterflies had had been infesting the clouds converged on her, forming a shield around her. She dropped into the clouds like a puppet with the strings cut while the butterflies swarmed Jack, zapping him with little bursts of static. They didn't _hurt_ , but they were enough to keep Jack distracted. He _almost_ didn't see the slushball coming, busy as he was trying to shoo away the static butterflies, and it still clipped his shoulder as he spun to avoid it.  
  
"You gonna keep hiding in the clouds?" Jack teased, using the north wind to push the cloud cover away, pulling together another snowball as he watched for another flash of black hair and pale skin. Mother Nature let out a breathless laugh that seemed like it came from all around him.  
  
"Haven't you ever played Hide and Seek, Jack Frost?" A blast of warm air made his hair stand on end, and Jack spun quickly, lobbing his snowball in the direction the warm wind had come from. Mother Nature _shrieked_ , and Jack crowed his triumph, his wind ripping the cloud cover away. She was clawing melting snow off her rump, cursing snow, winter, and most especially Jack.  
  
"Found you!" Jack spun around Mother Nature, laughing right up until she caught the front of his hoodie in a vice like grip.  
  
Her teeth looked very sharp when she smiled, and she smashed a slushy snowball of her own down on the top of Jack's head.  
  
Not even Jack was immune to the universal response a body had to snow dripping down the back.  
  
"Tag," Mother Nature purred in his ear, "you're it." Then she was gone, streaking downward with the wind whipping around her. She wasn't as fast or controlled as Tooth, but she was still better than Jack, who rolled with every shift of the north wind. Jack would _never_ have been able to catch her...  
  
But he didn't have to. It might have been spring, it might have been warm, but where Jack Frost went, winter followed. And with winter and Jack came a flurry of snowballs, splattering against the ground as Mother Nature ducked and dodged them, pausing just long enough to let Jack aim before getting out of the way. He readied the next volley as she landed at the edge of the lake, looking up at him with a smile that should have been worrying.  
  
Jack was ready for static butterflies, for snowballs, for hail. What he wasn't ready for was a great water spout shooting up and smacking him out of the air. He let himself fall, landing as lightly as a leaf on the grass, which froze beneath him as he grinned. Flowers bloomed where Mother Nature walked, and Jack saw bare feet peek from beneath the hem of her gown when she moved. She sat on the grass beside him, snow still dribbling off her hair.  
  
"So it's true what they say about you."  
  
"And what's that?" Jack used his staff to lever himself upright, then draped it across his knees.  
  
"That you really are utterly, totally, _barking_ mad." She combed the last bit of snowball out of her hair and flicked it at his nose. Jack wiped at the snow with a false scowl, jostling a laugh out of Mother Nature that seemed to surprise her. "Oh yes, I do know a madman when I see him."  
  
"I'm just having a little fun." Jack let the north wind lift him, circling the nature spirit. The wind caught at her hair, tangling it into elflocks. She glared at him through the sudden tangle of black hair, and _then_ it was raining just on Jack. Icicles formed on his own silvery locks, obscuring his vision until he snapped them off. "It's kinda my thing."  
  
"So I've heard. Did anyone bother to tell you what _my_ thing is?" The static butterflies were back, hovering around their mistress. One of them landed above Mother Nature's ear and sat there like a living hair ornament. The rest began to flock around Jack in a way that reminded him of the way Tooth's fairies would gather... right before they'd swarm someone.  
  
"Uh... hitting people with weather?" Jack suggested, blowing a puff of cold air at one of the butterflies while Mother Nature combed her hair out with her fingers, calling the wind to pull him into the relative safety of the air as the butterfly wings began to crackle ominously. "You really like zapping things."  
  
"That I do," she agreed. "So tell me, Guardian, why would you risk my not inconsiderable wrath for the sake of fun? I am no friend to your little order, nor am I a child to be made into a believer."  
  
Jack landed again, standing in front of Mother Nature as she continued to comb out her hair, giving his staff a little twirl. "Maybe you look like you could use a little fun." He looked up at the storm clouds as they rolled onward, leaving behind blue skies and bright sunlight. The answer seemed to satisfy her; the butterflies chased after the clouds, all except the one in Mother Nature's hair. "It's pretty hard to have fun when you're pretty much on your own-"  
  
Mother Nature stood, brushing grass from her skirt. "Perhaps another day, I'll show you how I _really_ have fun," she said crisply. "But not, I think, today. I have duties to attend to – as I'm sure you do."  
  
"Mmmm... nope. Looking at a clear schedule here." Jack kept pace with Mother Nature as she walked. From the side, it was easy to see the resemblance; she shared Pitch's long nose and brow, and there was something in the not-exactly-a-smile she was turning on him...  
  
"Don't think you could keep up with me if I didn't want you to, imp."  
  
The north wind came to Jack without being called, answering Mother Nature's unspoken challenge.  
  
He couldn't keep up, exactly, but she never got so far ahead that he lost her either. All he had to do was follow the butterflies.


	3. Chapter 3

During the summer, Jack's pond was the local swimming hole, and it'd stayed that way even after the town of Burgess built a community swimming pool. Unlike the community pool, it stayed cool all year round and never got gross the way the pool did sometimes (especially the year all the filters got clogged with gunk that made everything smell like death. No one ever figured out how all the filters got cracked, or found out who swapped out the chlorine with pond scum, and Jack remained suspiciously quiet about the whole incident). You couldn't see the bottom of the pond even at the best of times, but there was nothing in it more dangerous than some fish and the odd frog.

Over the last year, Jamie and his friends had pretty much taken over the pond and it's environs. The other kids came – of course they did! -- but really, it was Jamie's gang's place.

Jamie let out what he would later insist was a manly scream when Cupcake grabbed him by the shoulders and dunked him under the water. He came up with a bit of pond scum stuck to his hair, still shrieking with laughter as he paddled away from the girl. Up on the ground, Sophie and Jack snickered while Jack made the lemonaid frozen. In the heat, it would melt before very long, but at least it would be cold to drink. Claude and Caleb were "racing" from one end of the pond to the other, which mostly involved them flailing around trying to tangle each other up. Monty was busy doing his very best drowned rat impersonation while he helped Pippa with her sunblock and muttering dark promises of vengence that might or might not involve frogs put down swim trunks.

Something moved in the cold water, unseen and unremarked.

If life had a soundtrack, the _Jaws_ music would have been playing. Instead, the air was filled with Sophie's happy nonsense song as Pippa and Monty laid claim to some lemonade.

"Hey Jack, how do you feel about frozen frogs-?"

Something slimy brushed against Caleb's shin, making him yelp and flail his way to shore. "There's something down there!"

His brother laughed at him, continuing to tread water. "Don't be such a baby!"

Slimy hands gripped Claude's waist, sending him racing after his twin with a shriek that he would never be able to describe as anything but shrill and girlie. Jack rocketed to his feet, scooping up his staff in one smooth motion as Cupcake and Jamie wisely followed Claude's lead before they could be caught by whatever was lurking in the water.

There was nothing in Jack's pond that should have been dangerous to anyone. It was _his_ place, and nothing dangerous could ever settle here; he'd chased away the things that liked to lurked in the dark corners of the world before, when he was just a winter spirit. If something _had_ slunk in, it was in for a nasty surprise. Jack approached the water's edge, staff at the ready to turn something into a monster-cicle. A shape moved beneath the water, chased by a butterfly that fluttered near the surface.

"Oh, _that's_ your game."

Jamie crept up to Jack's side, following his line of sight with open curiosity. "Is someone there?" he whispered. Jack nodded, gesturing for silence as he followed the shape with his staff, only slightly more at ease. Cupcake immediately joined them, craning to see. Sophie went right past Jack, wading into the water to chase after the butterfly, ignoring the protests of the other children. Cupcake immediately waded in after her, followed by the groaning Jamie. "C'mon, Sophie!"

"Mermaid!" Sophie announced as she was pulled out of the water.

Mother Nature finally surfaced from the shoulders up wearing an affronted expression. "I never!"

"That's right Sophie," Jack crooned, freezing the water beneath his feet as he walked past the shore, "it's a mermaid." He watched the others carefully for their reactions – he'd been considering introducing Mother Nature to his first believer, but he wasn't sure anyone could even see her. Sophie wasn't even sure fire proof; the kid saw and believed in things as easily as she breathed. But Cupcake dropped the squirming child, and Jamie froze with his eyes on Mother Nature, like he thought she would disappear if he moved. There was a wariness there that worried Jack as something akin to recognition flashed across Jamie's face.

"I am no such thing!" Mother Nature disappeared back under the water with barely a ripple, coming back up with a significant spray of water beside Jack. The storm cloud grey dress had been replaced by one in pond scum green, and the water made it cling to her in a way that was vaguely reminiscent of a fish tail. Jack couldn't help it; as Sophie splashed her way over and wrapped her arms around Mother Nature's legs, so pleased with having captured her very own mermaid, he started to laugh. "Dear and blessed- I am not a mermaid! Child, release me at once!"

"Nice dress," Jack murmured sotto voce. She sniffed derisively, muttering back about how civilized beings changed their clothes every now and again, if only for the sake of variety.

"Gwant a wish!" Sophie caroled, clinging to Mother Nature's skirt with amazing tenacity even as she waded to the shore. The sight, coupled with Jack's laughter, was enough to set the others off. Even Cupcake was giggling as she tried to untangle Sophie. "Mermaid make a wish!"

"I have never known a mermaid who granted wishes." Sophie was finally detached, and Mother Nature sat at the edge of the water, wringing out her sodden skirt. "They'll make all kinds of promises, but they _never_ follow through. Minds like goldfish, teeth like sharks. _Do_ stop giggling and introduce me, Jack." There was an unspoken _Or I'll start lobbing lightning at you,_ in there, but the whole image she presented remained too much for Jack. It didn't help that Sophie had switched from clinging to her skirt to playing with her hair. By the time she was done, it'd be even worse than when Jack had tangled it with the north wind.

After a great deal of trouble (and a long glare from Mother Nature that threatened Horrible Things), Jack managed to pull off something that was just over-the-top formal enough to be ridiculous. "Ladies, gentlemen... Sophie... allow me to introduce Mother Nature."

Sophie yanked hard on a lock of hair. "Mermaid!"

Maybe if she could have seen the look on Mother Nature's face, she would have stopped... but probably not.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"We're very big on recycling and being green in my house," Monty announced. Two hours in and most of the New and Shiny had worn off Mother Nature – after all, it was still a hot day, and there was a cool pond to play in, and the nature spirit didn't seem inclined to do more than sit there and let Sophie turn her hair into a bird's nest. She was accepted as Jack's Friend, and that was all there was to it; all the kids took some time to chat with her, then it was back to fun and cool water. Jack kept a cautious eye on things, but she didn't seem inclined to pull her favorite hail trick, so it was all good. "Save the Earth, you know?"

"I shouldn't worry about that too much," Mother Nature said in confidential tones. "In the long run, it'll all work out alright." She took one of Sophie's sloppy braids and undid it carefully. "Planets are very resilient things, and they adapt to climate changes all the time."

Monty relaxed a bit, trying not to pick at the week old sunburn on his shoulders.

"Of course," she went on, not-smiling pleasantly, "humanity will likely be wiped out by the sudden change in global temperature, all the pollutants dumped into the air and water, and the massive earthquakes that will be caused by the shifting of the tectonic plates. But I'm really looking forward to the new species that will arise from the proverbial and literal ashes."

Sometimes, it was very easy to tell who's daughter Mother Nature was.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The storm probably shouldn't have come as a surprise. Jamie and his friends went running for home as the first drops hit the ground, and Mother Nature didn't even bother to look apologetic about it. Thunder rolled and rain sheeted down, insuring that the children would be stuck inside for the rest of the day.

"I thought you were having fun!" It felt almost like a personal betrayal. 

"I was. But I _came_ here to bring the rain." She turned her face up to the dark sky.

"You could have put it off!"

"What do you think I've been doing all afternoon, Jack Frost?" Mother Nature hissed. "This should have started _hours_ ago!" She waved a hand at the clouds, eyes flashing. "This was meant to be nothing more than a gentle rain, but I pushed, and I put it off, and now it _must_ be a storm, or it will become something so much worse!" The nature spirit drew herself up to her full, not inconsiderable height. "The weather must do what it must do. I can no more lock away the bad weather than I would try to imprison fear! It is the very height of hubris, and leads only to destruction!"

"We couldn't just let Pitch run wild!" Jack snapped back, barely aware of the rising cold. "He kidnapped Tooth's girls, he destroyed Easter, and he was going to kill Jamie! After everything he did, he _deserved what he got!_ "

The world snapped into focus then, as the two nature spirits realized that they had revealed more than they ever meant to.

"Who told you?" Her voice was flat and lifeless.

"I didn't-" Jack raised a hand to try and catch Mother Nature as the wind lifted her, but he couldn't quite bring himself to close the gap between them.

"You did." Her lip twitched into something that was too sad and pained to be a smile, though it bore a passing resemblance. "And the worst part is that you're not wrong."


	4. Chapter 4

The yetis were sweeping up the remains of yet another broken window as North watched, hands clasped behind his back. The elves were already chipping apart the hailstone for some nefarious purpose that Jack decided he really didn't want to thing about; North had called it a new record, and Phil looked like he wanted to murder something. "Things are not going so well," North mused as the yetis executed a complicated little dance around the elves so they could get a new pane of glass into the window.

"Girls are crazy."

_The worst part is you're not wrong._

Honestly, that was the most important lesson Jack could take from all this. One moment things had been fine, then there were storms, and hailstones, and the lingering feeling that maybe _he_ had done something wrong. Jack _knew_ he hadn't, but he also hadn't meant to say what he had about Pitch, even if every word of it was true. She'd left Jack alone at his pond, keeping him from following with a gust of wind that had knocked him flat until she was gone.

"A bit," North agreed. "Family can do that to even the best of us."

Jack grunted, watching the elves scurry off with their icy treasure. There was something deeply worrying about their chatter, but he doubted they could do much _real_ damage before they were stopped, either by the yetis or their own incompetence. North watched the storm raging outside, snow hissing against the windows. The hail had stopped, but the snow was not likely to end for several days. North sighed hugely, stroking his beard. "Have you spoken with her since?"

"I kinda like myself not fried, North." Jack balanced easily on the rail beside North, pacing back and forth.

_The worst part is **you're not wrong.**_

"Maybe take a peace offering?" North suggested. "I understand she is very fond of Phil's cookies."

"I didn't do anything wrong!" Jack protested. There was something in the look North turned on him that made Jack think _You know, maybe a hailstone or two launched at an uncomfortable place doesn't sound like such a bad idea._

He might have to go find out what the elves were up to. Maybe lend them a hand.

"Not what I meant." Jack continued to walk along the rail, following North as he used his staff to keep his balance. "Think of it more as... 'I want a moment of your time, here is something to buy it.'" North jabbed the air with a beefy finger. "I have just the thing!"

There were time when Jack thought that someone has big as North just _shouldn't_ be able to move that fast. But North went and did it anyway, darting about at speeds that would have done Bunnymund proud, hunting through racks of already completed toys until he found something that made him cry out with joy. The butterfly sat slightly on his palm, wind up wings flapping slowly as he showed it to Jack.

"You know she's got the real thing, right?"

"People who have cats keep stuffed animals too," North retorted, pressing the clockwork butterfly into Jack's hands.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The sun beat down on Jack, making him wish for cooler climes; North's snow globe had dropped him in the middle of a vast expanse of sun burned grass, the only real feature a flat, muddy river that _oozed_ into the distance. He found Mother Nature there in a dress the same golden brown as the grass, river mud squishing beneath her feet as she walked along the bank. Jack took the wind up butterfly from the pocket of his hoodie and let it fly. "Y'know, I'm starting to think North made that for you."

"Did he now." She raised a hand to catch the clockwork, her expression unreadable. Jack waited, half expecting her to crush the delicate little thing. "He does realize that I am no child to be appeased by a pretty bauble?"

"I think he's just been looking for an excuse," Jack admitted, going over his last few conversations with North in his head. There had been a constant, carefully polite interest in how things were going with the nature spirit (on top of seeing how Jack was adjusting to being a Guardian and gaining believers, and a brief but intense discussion on the inadvisability of lending any of the elves to Bunnymund on a permanent basis) that, in retrospect, Jack really should have been paying more attention to.

The toy butterfly disappeared into a pocket hidden in the folds of Mother Nature's skirt. "And you, Jack Frost? What are you looking for?"

Jack shrugged, digging his hands into his pockets, staff held in the crook of his arm. "You said I wasn't wrong."

On the opposite bank, a herd of gazelles cautiously approached the water to drink. Nothing moved in the water to disturb them, but they were still wary. "And you weren't. Pitch Black threw the natural order out of balance, and he had to be stopped." Clouds scurried across the sky, thin and white and nearly insubstantial. "But I wonder if you and your cohort remember that it must _be_ a balance between the extremes."

"I think I hear a lecture coming..." Jack quirked an eyebrow, watching a log drift slowly down the river.

"You're free to leave, if you'd rather." The herd quickly backed away from the river bank as the log drifted on. "Or you can listen, and possibly even learn something."

"Well, I _did_ come all this way. Might as well stay for story time."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time: The Rise and Fall of Kozmotis Pitchner! Elves amok! Prettyboy bandits and old shames!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Experimenting a bit with things in the first part of the chapter; this is where I start blending Movie Backstory and Book Backstory together, so I hope everything's understandable.
> 
> Any and all Russian used in this part and the following parts was cribbed from Google, so it probably stinks. I'm very, very sorry.
> 
> And for those who were expecting eflish shenanigans, more apologies. All the drama of this chapter means that they got pushed to the next, where they might enjoy more room in the spotlight.

Once upon a time, _she said with dark bitterness,_ there was a mighty empire that spanned the cosmos. The rulers were much beloved, the people were happy, everything was bright and good and civilized... except for the parts that weren't. Dark things have always lurked at the outer edges of even the brightest of golden ages... sometimes they even lurk in the heart of them. There certainly were enough of the so-called great and the good who fell to the dark during the war.

In my youth, people said that the old things of the dark attacked us without reason.

_You don't believe that?_

Lets just say that time and careful study have given me a different perspective. I believed it then, and if I must be entirely honest, it no longer matters. What does matter is that when the darkness rose up to destroy the Empire, we fought back with everything we had. Tsar Lunar declared that all Fear would be banished from the universe, and our armies fought long and hard to make his dream come true. The Dream Pirates were annihilated, the Great Abyssals driven back, and the Nightmare Men and Fearlings were caged in an inescapable prison.

Leading the armies was Kozmotis Pitchner.

_Your father._

Yes.

He was a hero, you know. Without him, we might well have lost the war. He was the one who broke the Siege of Vega, keeping thousands of refugees from being slaughtered or enslaved by the Dream Pirates. He once kept his garrison from being destroyed by an Abyssal single handed, and he saved the Tsarina from being assassinated by a member of the court who had been corrupted by the Fearlings. They used to say that he was blessed by the Constellations.

The happiest times of my life were those rare moments when he was home. The army couldn't spare their Golden General for very long, after all, no matter how much his little girl needed her Daddy. He taught me the most important lesson I ever learned -- the importance of Duty, and the ability to put it before my wants.

When the last of the dark things were locked away, Tsar Lunar realized that they would need a guard. Someone wise, and strong, and very brave. Someone incorruptible.

Go ahead, make the joke. I can see you want to.

_I dunno. You've got this odd look of mayhem in your face..._

Very well.

I remember everyone telling me what a great honor it was, for my father to be chosen to guard the prison. It was a sign how respected he was, how _trusted_ he was. I... took it rather badly, actually. I retreated to the villa to sulk, which is probably what saved my life when it all went wrong. I was in no mood to see everyone celebrating the Great Victory of Light Over Dark without my father, so I wasn't _there_ when they all... _She swallowed, eyes distant._

You can't kill Fear, and you can't imprison it. Not for long. You see, no one is incorruptible. Given enough time, any man can be broken.

It took them nearly three years. Perhaps less. Who knows how long Pitch Black was lurking about, waiting for the perfect chance to strike, to fill the universe with fear?

Of course, he didn't just fill them with fear, oh no. He killed them to, everyone and everything that crossed his path. It was a wholesale slaughter, lead by something wearing the face of the man who inspired the greatest hope. I think that may have been the greatest blow: how could we stand, when our Golden General couldn't?

I didn't believe it at first, not until I saw him for myself, and even then...

The survivors scattered across the universe, not that it saved most of them. He chased them down, exterminated them all until he was finally defeated by the Man in the Moon and trapped here.

_You survived._

I made myself a very small, uninteresting target. I traveled alone and I kept far from others. Perhaps that makes me a coward, but I was more interested in finding answers than I was in keeping other people alive. Sometimes I wonder if perhaps Pitch was saving me for last... In any case, I did find my answers, and with them I also found power. Power enough, I thought, to destroy Pitch Black. I had lost my father, and I could stop that _thing_ from wearing his face.

What? Did you think everything came from the Man in the Moon? There are things older and more powerful than the mighty Tsar Lunar in the universe, Jack Frost, and you would do well to remember that.

_So why are you here, instead of running around being a cosmic pain in the ass? Why didn't you destroy him?_

You are very cranky when you're out in the heat, did you know what?

When I arrived on this planet, I was ready to do just that. I had great plans, you see. Destroy the leader, scatter the creatures of Fear, reduce them so something that wasn't devouring every living being they came across... and then I found what the Man in the Moon had done. He had taken the Nightmare King, and he had excised the very worst of him. Pitch Black was what Fear was meant to be, what it was before it warped itself into something that could fight the Empire. Pitch Black was the thing that made people think twice about wandering off into the night alone and unarmed. He was the thing that made them cautious of the unknown, kept children from straying from the path and being eaten by the real monsters out there...

He was almost my father again. He had no memory of me, of who he once was, but I could _see_ something of Kozmotis Pitchner there.

I had hope, Jack, for the first time in years.

I was so _close_...

And then it all went wrong. People stopped believing in him, and he became... _that_. I did everything I could to help him, but it wasn't enough. I couldn't make people believe in him, and all the while the Man in the Moon's Guardians grew in power and importance while he withered, and started becoming that _thing_ again.

You weren't wrong in what you did.

_Well, that was the most depressing story ever._

I'm not very good at the happy ones. I could tell you the story about the Glorious Day the Butterflies Found A Dead Fish.

_... maybe another time. Hey, you ever been in North's workshop?_

I can't say I've had the pleasure.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The yetis had some pretty impressive death glares going on as Jack lead Mother Nature through the workshop. They both ignored the North's guards as Jack casually pointed out interesting things and Mother Nature pretended to find them as fascinating as he did.

"And over here is where the elves staged their last revolution, where they were promptly defeated by Phil tripping over one and falling on their catapult. North says they get like that once or twice a year-"

It would have been impossible to miss North coming. He was, after all, a big man who wore a lot of red and very rarely bothered to be quiet. In fact, Jack had been expecting North the moment they'd breezed past the doors and begun the impromptu tour. What Jack hadn't been expecting was the mustache wax. Jack could see it the moment North popped into view; snowy white beard and mustache were both neatly combed, with the end of the mustache itself sharpened to tiny points. From where Jack stood, he could also see Mother Nature pretending that she hadn't already spotted North, and her quickly smothered smile.

This was going to be easier than he'd thought.

"And here comes the head honcho himself! North, how ya doing?" Jack spun, as light on his feet as a snowflake in the wind, and pulled Mother Nature around so she was facing North. A little push and goodbye, personal space! She stopped just short of actually colliding with North. "You don't mind me showing Mother Nature around a bit, do you?"

"Forgive the intrusion," Mother Nature murmured, clearly calling upon etiquette lessons from several lifetimes ago. "I'm afraid I couldn't resist the opportunity to at least thank you in person for your thoughtful gift." She produced the clockwork butterfly from the hidden pocket of her skirt.

North beamed with obvious pride, then took Mother Nature's hand and bowed over it. "Dobro pozhalovatʹ v moy dom, moya ledi."

Jack had seen these games played a thousand times in his three hundred years, and it never stopped being funny. If he hadn't needed to get a move on, he'd have gleefully stuck around and made things interesting. But needs must when the devil drives. "You know, I bet there's all kinds of cool stuff North could show you better than I could. Have you _seen_ his reindeer? You're gonna love 'em." Jack slid in beside North and whispered, "Think you can keep her busy for a couple hours, big guy?"

If he hadn't been watching for it, he would have missed North's tiny nod as he slipped Mother Nature's arm through his own, insisting that with his superior knowledge of his workshop, he could give her a much better tour than Jack could.

If Jack hadn't been watching North, and if North hadn't been watching Mother Nature, they might have noticed the elf that Mother Nature was watching out of the corner of her eye.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

It was always easy to tell when Jack Frost arrived in Toothiana's Memory Palace -- every fairy in the place would converge on him, eager to catch a glimpse of his smile. Not even Toothiana herself was immune; she just had better self control. She continued to co-ordinate her girls on their collection routs while Jack made the ones not occupied giggle and blush and generally act silly.

"Hey Tooth, I got a question that's gonna seem really weird-" Jack began as Baby Tooth perched on his shoulder and refused to be dislodged by her sisters. It was generally accepted that Baby Tooth was Jack's particular fairy, but that didn't stop the others from occasionally trying to worm their way into his affections.

"Is it going to be any weirder than the time with the mammoth tooth?"

"Remember when you punched Pitch?"

The fairies gave a little cheer; some of them had been working on a mural to commemorate the event. So far, they'd resisted all of Bunnymund's attempts to help. "Mm-hm." She rounded up a few of the girls and sent them protesting off to the Ukraine.

"I don't suppose you still have the tooth?"

Okay, maybe this _was_ going to be weirder than the time with the mammoth tooth.

She hadn't _meant_ to keep it, really. She rarely dealt with the teeth of adults, and there was something so _unwholesome_ about the tooth she'd knocked from Pitch Black's mouth... but Toothiana had given him the money, so the tooth was hers. In the end, she'd locked the awful thing far away from the rest of the teeth and resolved to never think about it again.

"Because I was thinking maybe we could use the tooth to give Pitch back _his_ memories of who he was before-"

" _Why?_ " Toothiana demanded, the sharpness in her tone startling everyone. All her fairies but Baby Tooth fled from Jack. "What makes you think there's even anything there for him to remember? Pitch Black is a monster, Jack! Look what he did! What he _tried_ to do!"

"But... what if this could make him stop being a monster?" Jack asked thoughtfully. "We can't kill fear, we can't lock it up, but what if we could get it under control?"


	6. Chapter 6

"Ow ow ow ow _owowowow_ -!" Jack was sure Toothiana was going to rip his ear off as she tugged him through the portal to North's workshop; God knew she looked like she wanted to start lopping off body parts.

"You- you have lost your mind!" she said, not for the first time. In fact, most everything she'd said for the last few minutes was some variation on the theme of questioning Jack's sanity. The rest had been dire threats to gather the rest of the Guardians so they could see how Jack had lost his mind and lock him up in a nice, safe padded cell until sanity returned.

She didn't let go until the elf riding a storm cloud nearly zapped them both.

Jack took a minute to enjoy the return of his freedom, trying to massage some feeling back into his ear while Tooth gaped at the chaos unfolding on the workshop floor.

The yetis had thrown up fortifications, but some of the elves were industriously destroying them from the bottom up. North was directing the yetis in their defense, but sometimes it's just really hard to hit a creature that's less than a foot tall... especially when they have air support. Someday, Jack would have to find out where they'd found elf sized aviator goggles... or how the elves had learned to pilot their mini-storm clouds so quickly. The airborne elves strafed North and the yetis, zapping them with tiny lightning bolts to keep them from the ground crew.

Mother Nature clapped and giggled like a girl, welcoming the squadron back with open arms as the first of the fortifications started to collapse. " _Very_ good, my darlings! You do yourselves proud!"

Elves poured out of the woodwork, descending on the crack in North's defenses with shrill war cries as North marshaled his troops.

"Flying elves..." Jack muttered as the squadron circled Mother Nature like so many eager puppies.

"Nothing good can come of that," Toothiana whispered back, unwilling to draw attention. 

"I think I hit her with one too many joy filled snowballs."

There was a great shout from North's side, and a platoon of elves scampered back to Mother Nature and their base of operations with their prize. One of the yetis made a desperate grab, only to be zapped and gently drizzled on by the squadron. The tin of cookies was presented with great ceremony, and Mother Nature accepted it with remarkable grace and dignity, making a great show of eating one. The elves cheered, and North did his best to hide his own laughter.

The only ones not enjoying themselves were the yetis, who looked ready to mutiny.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Bunnymund's expression was thunderous, but that was forgivable. He'd come up right under one of Mother Nature's flying honor guard and gotten drizzled on for his trouble. He stood there for a few moments, dripping and furious as he a hundred different things tried to get said at once. Finally he settled on a loud, firm, " _Why_?" It covered a whole range of questions that he wanted answered, starting with _Why would anyone give the elves the ability to fly?_

Sandman hovered at eye level, helpfully producing a dream-sand bust of Mother Nature with a swarm of tiny elves racing around on clouds. Bunnymund froze, nose twitching as his ears flattened down. "She's _here_? That sheila's completely starkers! Who let- of course. Jack bloody Frost." Bunnymund rested a hand lightly on his boomerang, forcing his ears up. "We get called in to run her off, then?"

Sandman shook his head quickly, summoning up a little image of Pitch. The image shifted suddenly to Pitch in a style of armor that Bunnymund hadn't seen in centuries, little snowflakes falling around him.

Somewhere, an elf let out a war cry that really shouldn't have been terrifying... but it was.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Are you out of your mind?"

"Y'know, I'm getting kinda tired of people asking me that," Jack pointed out. "How is this a bad idea? We get rid of Pitch Black for good, reunite a broken family, and maybe Mother Nature stops lobbing lightning bolts at us every time she's feeling peeved. It's a win-win-win!"

"The problem," Toothiana sighed, speaking slowly, "is there's no way to be sure we can even _do_ this! There might be nothing left of this Kozmotis Pitchner to wake up."

"Mother Nature thinks there is."

"Maybe," Bunnymund drawled. "Or maybe she's seeing things she wants to see. Wouldn't be the first time," he added, not unkindly. "People will cling to the smallest things if that thing gives them hope."

North drummed his fingers on his belly, his expression distant as thoughtful as he offered his opinion. "What does it cost us to try? As Jack says, we succeed and it is all win. If not... then we _tried_."


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ... I'll be honest, this bit probably should have been part of the last chapter, but I couldn't make it work how I wanted until today. And I STILL ended up cutting the bit with Baby Tooth I want to get into the story *le sigh*

Jack studied the tableaux laid out before him thoughtfully as he came down the stairs. "The little crown's a nice touch."

Mother Nature actually looked worried for a moment as she rose from her makeshift throne, reaching up to touch the tinsel crown, the kind that came with Christmas poppers, perched at a jaunty angle on her head. "I think they made me their queen... which is rather worrying, given what I recall of elvish cultures regarding their royalty. I'd hate to have them try and toss me in a volcano." Still, the crown remained in place. "Also, we've opened up negotiations, and I hope to have cookie access restored by the end of the month."

"I thought you didn't like it when Phil tried to bribe you?" He tried to snag the tinsel crown with his staff, but she stepped away.

"The important thing is that peace will be restored, and I will maintain a steady supply of cinnamon raisin cookies." Mother Nature took off the crown, looking at her reflection in the gold foil. "A productive use of my time while you plot, I think."

Jack pretended he didn't hear the last part, failing to school his expression into one of complete innocence. "But didn't you start the fight in the first place?"

"They were plotting anyway. I just gave them a little help. All for the greater good, you understand. This way the darlings actually have a fighting chance." Two of the elves rushed them, chattering too fast for Jack to understand as Mother Nature scooped them up with a doting smile. Jack glanced at the other Guardians; he'd been 'nominated' to tell her about the plan ("Because it's your stupid plan in the first place," Bunnymund had explained), and something about their very obvious caution worried him.

It just didn't make sense. It was a good plan, it would make her happy, why shouldn't she know? Okay, he'd entertained the idea of surprising Mother Nature with a Pitch Black who had his memories, but that seemed kinda dangerous in light of some of the rapid mood swings Jack had witnessed.

Sandy made a little "go ahead" motion with his hands as Mother Nature advised the elves on how best to deal with the 'Yeti Aggressors', then sent them on their way. "Aren't they just perfect?"

Jack scratched the back of his head, listening to the distant sounds of elven chaos. Not all that unusual in North's workshop, but there was something vaguely terrifying about the idea of them getting _organized_. It was almost like watching a swarm of army ants. "I thought you said were having peace talks with the yetis."

"Gregor wants to bargain from a position of strength. It really is better if I let them do most of their thinking for themselves." Mother Nature returned to her throne (obviously cobbled together in great haste by the elves) and looked past Jack to where the others were watching. "Is anyone going to tell me what's going on? This grows less amusing by the moment, and I do have a duty to return to."

"Right." Jack perched himself lightly on top of the throne, making Mother Nature look up at him, her eyes narrowing. "So, I had this idea -- and it's a great idea, you're gonna love it. Y'see, I didn't remember my past, back when I was still human? Not until I got my teeth." He paused, waiting to see if she understood the significance of that statement. All he got was a blank stare and a distant rumble; on a nearby mountain peak, the snow had come loose and was rolling down like a cold tsunami. "We've got one of Pitch's teeth!" he added.

"That must have taken some doing," Mother Nature noted flatly.

"Not really," Toothiana told her. There was a tense moment when Mother Nature took her eyes off Jack to turn her blank stare on the Tooth Fairy. Then she let her head drop into her hand, pinching the bridge of her nose between her fingers.

"I'm not going to quarrel. Just tell me what in all the hells you're going on about."

"We can restore you dad's memories!" Jack explained excitedly. "Then he'll be --"

Mother Nature raised her head, staring unseeingly into the distance for a long moment.

" _Have you lost your mind?_ "


	8. Chapter 8

"Give me the tooth."

Jack slid off the top of the throne, stepping quickly between Mother Nature and Toothiana, who she had been marching towards. "No way! You can't be against this plan. You just... _can't_."

Mother Nature was utterly, inhumanly still as she regarded Jack with wide, angry eyes. "An unwise choice of words." She looked past Jack to the other Guardians, who were watching and waiting. It was clear, in that moment, that this was Jack's battle to fight, and no matter how much they might wish to, they would not enter in uninvited.

Bunnymund, for example, looked like he would like nothing better than to step in and bury his boomerang between Mother Nature's eyes.

In truth, the only one who didn't look ready for a fight was Sandman, who merely looked thoughtful and a little sad.

The sharp smell of ozone filled the air, battling with the strange scent that could only be called _cold_ as Jack stood his ground, uncowed. Her fists clench, an ominous breeze sweeping through the workshop as the cold north wind danced around it's warm southern counterpart, almost uncertain.

"Give me one good reason why we shouldn't go get Pitch right now and give him back his memories. _Nobody_ deserves not to remember, and no one deserves to be alone."

Mother Nature let out a broken laugh, all the tension suddenly draining from her body and leaving her limp. She knelt in front of Jack with her shoulders shaking as her hair hid her face. "I forgot how young you are," she whispered. "You were only alone and unremembering for three hundred years, Jack Frost, and in that time you spread so much _joy_. For the last _fifty thousand years_ , my father has been the very thing he spent his mortal life battling against. He has the blood of his dearest friends on his hands and in his mouth, and you would have him _remember_?"

If Jack's words had been a punch to her gut, then Mother Nature's were a slap to his face.

"Can you imagine?" she asked as Jack joined her on the floor, taking her hands gently in his own. "At best, he'd destroy himself for what he's become. At worst, you'd be unleashing a truly mad thing on the world."

"But what if your dad's better than that?" Jack asked, unable to resist asking the question. "Are you really ready to give up on hope? Your faith in him?"

"I have to think of a bigger picture. Give me the tooth. Throw it away. Anything but this."

Golden sand whirled and rustled across the floor, building itself into a sand sculpture beside the two nature spirits. Gently, Kozmotis Pitchner's hands closed over theirs, carefully separating Jack's from Mother Nature's and pulling her to her feet. The dream image was resplendent in his armor and gently smiling as he blew a small cloud into her face. North was there to catch her as she fell asleep, uttering a curse with her last waking moments.

"I guess you're in favor," Jack drawled as the sand sculpture dissolved. Sandy nodded emphatically, and the look that flashed across his face made Jack wonder if maybe Mother Nature hadn't been the only one clinging to a faint hope.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Took a bit longer than I wanted to get this chapter done, but here it is.

The ways into Pitch Black's Nightmare Realm were as infinite as the darkness between the stars, and it wasn't even all that hard to find them, so long as you knew what you were looking for. The _problem_ was actually getting through these portals to the other side. The Nightmare Realm was very nearly a living thing in it's own right, semi-sentient and more than able to defend itself. Undirected by Pitch's will, the Realm had shut itself off completely; the few spirits that had dared the the paths into the dark since the Nightmare King's defeat had come back maimed... if they came back at all. There was always _someone_ brave or stupid enough to try the Realm's defenses.

Jack had thought about giving it a go before, but it always seemed like there was something more important to do. Snowball fights didn't just start themselves, after all.

Their chosen way in was a decaying crypt. it had once been part of a family graveyard that had long since been swallowed up by fetid swampland, and in a few more years this all but forgotten monument would sink into the muck like everything else. Until then, it was a place of fear and fascination for local children, as it had been for generations. The raw belief poured into the place made for a strong gateway.

Now they just needed to get the gate open, find Pitch Black, restore his memories, and get back out... all before Mother Nature woke up.

Easy peasy.

The woman was asleep in the back of North's sleigh; everyone agreed (for once) that she couldn't be left alone in the Workshop, even under the influence of the dream sand. Leaving her outside the crypt wasn't much better, but it wasn't like they were spoiled for choice.

The shadows within the crypt rustled and sighed as if they were alive while Sandy dusted Mother Nature again. Toothiana stood on the steps of the monument, Pitch's tooth in her hands, cradled in an iron box. Bunnymund stood guard as North whispered spells over the tooth, all of them wary of the creeping darkness. The sun was beginning to sink behind the trees, and the hum of insects was ominous in the heavy air.

The plan, such as it was, was to use Pitch's tooth to convince the Nightmare Realm that they belonged their.

It was a better plan than blasting the gate open and charging in (which had been the original plan, and possibly North's favorite).

"How long will she be out for?" Jack whispered, wary of waking the sleeping nature spirit. Sandy pulled a blanket from beneath the seats and draped it over Mother Nature. He shook his head, sprinkling a bit more sand in her eyes. "You sure you're not overdoing this...?"

Sandy rolled his eyes, a miniature figure of Mother Nature throttling Jack forming above his head, complete with little elves on stormclouds cheering her own.

"Right. Maybe a bit more?"

"Jack?" Toothiana called. "We're ready for you."

Jack flicked a snowflake at Mother Nature's nose and whispered, "Try to remember that you like me," before joining the others. The iron box was open, and Pitch's tooth pulsated, almost like a beating heart.

"Just think _cold_ ," North suggested, clamping one huge hand on Jack's shoulder. The other he held over the tooth, chanting in a tone that was oddly high and musical, and that make Jack's hair stand on end. It was meant to add another layer to their disguise, making them seem much more like the things that lurked in the dark places.

_What goes better together than cold and darkness?_

The shadows inside the crypt deepened and ran together until there was nothing but the stone doorway left. The door itself had fallen off long ago, and sat half sunk into the swamp. North had hitched his reindeer to it.

Sandy drifted over to join them as the darkness took on the consistency of Jello. Without a word, Bunnymund took point. Toothiana was right behind, with Jack and North flanking her and Sandy guarding the rear.

The darkness was resistant as they stepped through, but they still made it past.

 

Jack hadn't known what he'd been expecting when he passed into Pitch's realm; rampaging herds of Nightmares, perhaps, or Pitch waiting to pounce on them.

What he hadn't expected was silence and broken cages. It looked as though something had taken a stab at tearing down the towering, twisted fortress and been stopped partway through, and every since one of the cages looked as though they'd been twisted apart by a terrible force. There were no Nightmares, and no sign of Pitch Black. Just a blasted landscape and empty shadows.

"Eerie," Toothiana murmured. The dead silence of the place seemed to swallow up her voice, and she fluffed her feathers up in an unconscious effort to make herself look bigger.

"Too right," Bunny agreed. "There should be something here..."

By unspoken agreement, they stayed together as they moved into the keep, with Toothiana using Pitch's tooth to guide them to him. In theory, with that tooth, tracking Pitch down should have been the easiest part of the plan. In reality, Pitch kept moving. At least that was proof that _something_ was in the Nightmare Realm, but Jack didn't want to think about what else might be hauling Pitch hither and yon if it wasn't the man himself.

"He's above us." Toothiana kept her voice low, glancing away from Pitch's tooth to watch the still shadows.

"I saw stairs back that way," North said, pointing one sword. Jack didn't notice; when Toothiana said Pitch was above them, he'd automatically looked up and met a pair of horrible golden eyes. He barely had time to shout a warning before Pitch Black dropping from the ceiling like a great black bat. He landed on North's back, bringing a long pole arm around to try and crush the massive man's throat. North roared a battle cry and dropped his swords so he could grab at Pitch, catching him by his robe and tossing the Nightmare King over his shoulder.

Pitch scrambled upright, bringing his weapon around to hold the Guardians at bay. It was a crude thing, a pike with the end broken off and a knife lashed to it, but it looked deadly enough to do the job. Pitch was in much the same state; ragged, a bit broken, and deadly.

"Finally come to finish the job, I see," Pitch purred, the smoothness of his voice at odds with his appearance. His eyes darted from one Guardian to another. "I haven't been fending off that thing for so long just to let _you_ kill me."

"Oh, don't I wish that was why we're here," Bunnymund growled darkly.

Toothiana's expression was equally dark. "We're here to help," she said sourly, shooting a glare at Jack which he ignored.

Silence reigned in the Nightmare Realm as Pitch and the Guardians watched each other.

"eheh... hehehe... ahahahahahahah _hahahah~_!"

The laugh wasn't a sane thing, and it resonated through the shadows. Something deep within the keep roared in response, shaking the stones beneath their feet.

"Eheheh-" Pitch's knuckles were white as he clutched the shaft of his weapon, and he was still laughing. Sandy and Bunnymund shared equally horrified expressions as an old, well remembered fear swept over them.

"A greater Abyssal," Bunnymund moaned, all the hair on his body standing up.

"It's been eating the Nightmares," Pitch chuckled madly. "I guess it's finally coming for me."


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More of a mini-chapter this time. Enjoy some Pitch!

Even when Pitch Black had begun his reign as the Nightmare King, the Greater Abyssals had remained locked away. They were things of terrible power, and would answer to no master but their own insatiable hunger. In the past, Pitch hadn't feared them, but he didn't care to let loose something he couldn't control, either. He'd kept them asleep in their pits, and by the time of his ignominious defeat at the hands of the Guardians, he'd all but forgotten them.

A grave mistake, and one he'd had much cause to regret.

So far, only one had awakened. Pitch hadn't noticed, not at first; his thoughts had been occupied with escaping the Nightmares before they could trample him to death. He'd managed to take refuge in the armory, and had successfully hidden there for days before he realized that there were fewer and fewer Nightmares roaming the halls. Without their infernal noise, he started hearing _it_ as it stalked the keep.

The one time Pitch dared to leave his sanctuary, he caught the Abyssal stampeding a herd of Nightmares before it, picking them off one by one and devouring them like a greedy child with a box of sweets.

The worst part was that it _noticed_ Pitch before he could flee; it knew he was there, and it was just saving him for last.

Pitch locked himself back within the armory and barricaded all the ways in. He listened to it snuffle about outside his sanctuary for days, listened to the screams of the Nightmares it consumed (it _had_ to be dragging the poor, doomed things close just so Pitch would have to _hear_ ), and he listened to the horrible silence as it sat outside and waited like a cat at a mouse hole.

In the end, the Abyssal grew impatient and tried breaking in through the outer wall. It had been a relief; the attack gave Pitch something to do other than _think_. He actually managed to wound the abomination enough to drive it back and allow him to flee, clinging to a broken pike. The Abyssal returned to easier prey, biding it's time. After all, it was getting stronger, while Pitch could only grow weaker. He skulked and scurried through his own lair and desperately wracked his brains for a way to stop the Abyssal before it could eat him.

All the while, one thought ran continuously through his head.

_**Don't let it get out! Don't let it reach the rest of the world!** _

He didn't bother to consider why _that_ was so important -- it just _was_ , and he didn't have time to waste on self-examination.

Pitch had known the moment the Guardians breached one of the gates; he was still the Nightmare King, no matter how weakened he was, and he'd worked so hard to keep the ways into his realm closed that it was almost like a physical blow.

Of _course_ they would come. Better to finish him off when he was still wounded than risk giving him time to recover and come at them again.

It was tempting to lead them to the Abyssal, but he dismissed the plan almost as soon as it formed in his mind. If that thing devoured even weak little Jack Frost, it would grow powerful enough to break through the gates and into real world.

No. He needed to either kill them himself or get them out, and sadly, he knew he stood a better chance of the latter.


	11. Chapter 11

The whole of the keep rattled with the coming of the Greater Abyssal. The shadows continued to resonate with Pitch's mad laughter, but the Nightmare King himself didn't lower his weapons as he watched the Guardians with narrowed eyes. His lips peeled back from his teeth in a parody of a smile. "You know..." he purred. "I don't have to out run that thing. _I just have to out run one of you._ "

It was Bunnymund who growled "No good deed goes unpunished," as Pitch took off like a bat out of hell. "Go!"

"What the hell was that?" Jack demanded as Bunnymund herded him back the way they had come. Sandman threw up a series of dream sand bars in their wake, and Toothiana darted ahead, easily keeping up with Pitch while flying well out of reach of his makeshift weapon.

Sand didn't stop a Greater Abyssal; it barely even slowed it down. It burst through the walls on their trail, great eyeless head raised as it let loose another roar that shook the masonry. Jack made the mistake of turning to look; his feet shot out from under him and the breath left his lungs as he looked upon the single most unnatural _thing_ in existence. It simply _should not be_ \-- the way it twisted itself to fit through the smaller corridors when it couldn't be bothered to just break the walls, the noises it made, even the way it's skin rippled -- it was all horribly, mind destroyingly wrong.

North grabbed Jack by the hoodie and kept him moving. "Don't stop!" he barked.

All Jack wanted to do was curl up into a ball and gibber. Luckily for him, wiser heads prevailed -- and North was more than capable of hauling someone as small and light as Jack without actually slowing down.

"I'll stuff you down the beast's gullet!" Pitch howled, swatting at Toothiana just outside the open gateway home. She kept well out of the reach of his pole arm, managing to look like she'd like nothing better than to pick Pitch up and drop him on the rocks until he was a shadowy smear.

"Time to go!" North bellowed, charging forward with the force of an oncoming train. The Abyssal was still twisting it's way after them, caught up in the last trap Sandman managed to throw up over the already broken doorway. Bunnymund tossed a handful of exploding eggs over his shoulder, and the beast let out a whine made ears bleed. Toothiana tumbled from the air clutching her head, and Pitch's efforts to grab her smacked her right through the gate, back to the real world.

"We can't leave him," Jack managed to say, despite his face being half pressed against the fur collar of North's coat. It was probably the first semi-sane, rational thought he'd been able to form since first setting eyes on the Greater Abyssal. North was already half way through the gate, but Jack was still able to catch Pitch around the throat with the crook of his staff. Pitch made a strangled noise as he was dragged along, and Bunnymund kept throwing his exploding eggs as Sandman threw up another wall of sand over the gate.

They hadn't really given any thought to things like needing to close up the gate after them.

 

The feted, hot air of the swamp came as a shock after the cold of the Nightmare Realm, helping Jack shake off the lingering effects of seeing the Greater Abyssal.

The alligators were kind of a surprise too.

At least they weren't trying to eat the reindeer, but they _were_ looking at the Guardians like there was going to be a great deal of biting in the near future.

Mother Nature was standing ankle deep in the swamp, looking like the wrathful goddess she was.

Pitch made a strangled noise, untangling himself from Jack's staff and staggering away from the gateway, nearly falling into the alligators. Mother Nature moved through them as easily as if she was crossing a floor, catching him before he fell. Lightning arced down, splitting one of the willows.

"Be aggro later, we've got a beastie on our tail."

North let Jack drop on the steps of the crypt and helped Bunnymund grab the stone door from where it was sinking in. Toothiana unhitched the reindeer, still a little wobbly from the blow she'd taken.

The stone doorway shattered even as North and Bunnymund tried to fit the old door over it, knocking them both backwards and into the midst of the alligators; the animals, at least, had the good sense to flee -- including North's reindeer, who dragged Toothiana along with them.

The Greater Abyssal snapped it's massive jaws as it writhed and twisted, trying to squirm it's way through the gate. A long, slimy tongue wrapped around Jack, trying to draw him into the rows and rows of teeth. Slime and unnatural flesh froze, and Jack shattered the tongue with a few swift blows of his staff and some quick chopping from North's swords. Foul blood poured from the ruined tongue, and the beast howled horribly. Sandman caught it up in great sand ropes, and Bunnymund threw more exploding eggs into the open mouth, but the Abyssal continued to shrink, pushing further through the gate and into the world.

Thick, thorny vines joined Sandman's ropes, contracting with the beast's thrashing, the thorns digging into rubbery flesh. Thunder rumbled overhead; it was the only warning the Guardians got to get out of the way before a column of lightning lanced down, frying the Abyssal until it stopped twitching. The beast dissolved in the weak daylight that managed to filter through the dissipating clouds, and the vines started digging through the masonry of the crypt, speeding along the inevitable decay until there was nothing left standing.

Jack shuddered and turned to thank Mother Nature, but the words dried up in his throat.

Mother Nature was belly down in the swamp, one hand extended to direct the writhing vines. Pitch Black was laying protectively on top of her, teeth bared. He used his broken pike to lever himself upright, one hand held out to pull her with him. He put himself between the nature spirit and the Guardians, a hand ghosting briefly over her hair to pick out the willow leaves that clung there.

Mother Nature deliberately pulled herself away, glaring at the dark blood tainting the swamp. "This place is unclean now. It'll be centuries before... was that what I think it was?"

"The Abyssals are starting to wake up," Pitch Black confirmed, no longer laughing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you call can forgive me for pulling Tooth out of the fight; I honestly couldn't find a way to keep her in it (and I suck at writing action, which is why it took so long to get this up).


	12. Chapter 12

There was a certain awkward tension in the air, almost as thick as the stench of Abyssal blood. Mother Nature pointedly ignored everyone as she began walling up the place where the crypt had been with a tangle of brambles. Muck dripped off her dress, and the alligators followed her around like a pack of faithful puppies. Pitch settled himself on what passed for solid ground, a smirk slowly spreading across his face.

"Well, isn't this an interesting turn of events. Been making friends, my dear girl?"

"I'm starting to discover that friends are not to my taste," Mother Nature replied waspishly, making Pitch laugh.

"How 'bout we focus on the important stuff?" Bunnymund suggested in that too-bright way that meant someone was likely to have a boomerang buried in their forehead in the very near future. "Like the fact that _the Greater Abyssals are waking up_."

Sandman nodded emphatically. His tiny hands were curled into fists, and his broad face was torn between fierce determination and horror.

"I'd been keeping them asleep until now." Pitch watched Mother Nature instead of the Guardians. She stepped back from the brambles, lowering her arms, and watched as it withered and died with a small curse. "Sadly, I am not the man I once was."

The brambles collapsed in a pile of dead vegetation. Mother Nature kept her back to everyone as she raised another batch for thorny plants. These died a much quicker death, and the guiding force of all nature let loose a string of oaths that made the swamp around her boil.

"Can't say I'm surprised," said Toothiana without a trace of sympathy. "Trying to take over the world must be very tiring."

Pitch glowered at her from his relatively dry spot. " _Six hundred years of being completely forgotten_ is tiring. At this point, I think I'm rather beyond 'tired'."

"They smelled blood in the water." The swamp started to frost over, foul blood freezing solid under Mother Nature's direction. She glanced first at the Guardians, then turned a longer, harder look on Pitch. "You were weakened and wounded, and now they'll be coming for you until you're dead or powerful enough to force them back."

"Is not metaphor I find to my liking," North noted. Bunnymund gave Mother Nature a dark look, and as Jack glanced around he could tell that they had all reached the same conclusion about what she had to be thinking.

"And just what is it you plan to do about that, my dear?" Pitch asked. There was a disturbing light dancing in his eyes that made Jack's skin crawl. "Feed me with your hunting beasts? Perhaps we could follow the old bandit again," he sneered at North, "as he terrorizes some unfortunate merchant? I recall you thought that was great fun. You certainly didn't approve of _my_ last plan."

Mother Nature kicked at the frozen edge of the tainted swamp, apparently satisfied that it was solid. "I haven't decided, but I'm sure I can come up something better than reducing the whole world to a state of mind destroying terror."

Sometimes, there was really nothing you could do but stand back and let things happen. As Pitch Black surged to his feet and Mother Nature continued to give him that hard look, Jack realized that this was something that had been waiting to happen for a very long time.

" _Six hundred years,_ " Pitch repeated with a hiss, "I had to watch while the world worshiped at the alter of _hope, and wonder, and dreams_." He pointed the end of his broken pike at the gathered Guardians, the knife glinting in the faint light. "While I was relegated to being a figment of the imagination! It was _me_ who kept them alive before that lot. _Me and my fear!_ " The shadows beneath the willows writhed, reaching out to Pitch. "But that wasn't good enough for the Man in the Moon! Couldn't have the little darlings afraid! _I was taking back what was mine, and it would have worked!_ "

Mother Nature's tone was as frosty as the ground she stood on. "Then what? Nothing can survive in a permanent state of fear, not for very long. Eventually, the body just _stops_. In the end, you would have wiped out everyone, just like the Abyssals! Who would have believed in you _then_?" She slogged through the muck until she was inches away from Pitch. "Your plan was _insane_ , and six hundred years ago, you'd have agreed with me!"

Far above, clouds began to roll in, blocking out the sunlight while a harsh wind whipped through the willows.

"I did everything I _could_ to help you, but you have forgotten your duty! You have forgotten your place! You have forgotten _yourself!_ "

Thunder punctuated the pronouncement, and Mother Nature gave Pitch a shove that sent him sprawling, much to his obvious surprise.

"You still have the tooth?" she asked, glancing at Toothiana out of the corner of her eye. She didn't entirely look away from Pitch, and vines writhed in the damp ground around him, ready to lash him down if he made any unwise moves. Toothiana flew closer, showing the iron box still in her hands.

"Thought you said it was a bad idea?" Jack couldn't resist asking.

"Oh, I _still_ think that. But now I don't think there's much choice left."


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My apologies for this part taking so long. It underwent several re-writes before I finally went "fuck it!", chucked what I had written, and started over again.
> 
> For those of you who might care, I can be found on [Tumblr](http://dorksidefiker.tumblr.com/), where I reblog endless amounts of crap and occasionally babble on about what I'm writing.

Pitch Black drew himself up slowly, gathering the tattered shreds of his dignity and pride around him like armor. "I don't need your _pity_." A strange, almost ridiculous thing to hear from a tattered, mud stained shade, but some part of him clearly remembered what he had once been and he clung to that like a drowning man.

Toothiana's knuckles were white around the iron box, "Good thing you haven't got it." Bunnymund nodded emphatically, coming to Toothiana's side. Jack squirmed in between them, joining Mother Nature.

"It doesn't have to be like this."

Pitch sneered down his nose at Jack. "Oh? And what _could_ it be like? Shall I become the Guardians' pet monster, perhaps? The stick to your carrot?" He loomed over Mother Nature. "And _you._ What gives you the _right_ to interfere after refusing to involve yourself for so long?"

Lightning crashed, knocking Pitch off his feet and back into the muck. He groaned weakly, trying to rise once more before his body gave up and he collapsed. The stench of burnt vegetation overpowered the tainted abyssal blood. "A hundred years ago, that would have barely phased him." Mother Nature lifted the Boogeyman as easily as a bundle of sticks and carried him to the sleigh.

It took Jack a few moments to find his words; his ears were ringing, and lights continued to flash in front of his eyes. "You're kinda _terrifying_."

"Only just now noticing?" Bunnymund quipped. Sandman settled beside Pitch in the back of the sleigh, helping Mother Nature lay him down so that the ancient spirit's head rested in his lap. Mother Nature smoothed Pitch's hair back, her expression almost tender.

Toothiana landed lightly near the front of the sleigh, clearly unwilling to get any closer to Pitch than she had to. "He has to _choose_ to take the memories," she pointed out. "I can't force them into him, assuming-"

"Assuming there are any memories to take. I haven't forgotten." Mother Nature glared at the frozen bit of swampland. "I need to find something to clean this up."

Jack poked at the jagged edge of the frozen swamp with the butt of his staff. "Looks pretty solid to me. Not like it'll leak."

It was Bunnymund who responded. "Just _freezing_ it won't keep the taint from spreading. It'll get into the ground, into the air, the rain, the _people_. There _were_ plants that could just... eat it up, but they were destroyed when Pitch burned his way through the universe."

"Most," Mother Nature corrected. "Not all. Father insisted we keep some in the family garden, just in case. I took them with me when I fled." She folded Pitch's hands together on his chest, then draped the blanket over him. "I can keep him in my sanctuary, for a while at least."

North turned his attention to his reindeer, heavy brows furrowed as he did his best to soothe them. "We cannot depend on whatever you are planning with Pitch. Not with these horrible things coming."

"Too right," Bunnymund insisted, eyes distant as he remembered long ago horrors.

"So what do we _do_?" Jack demanded.

North stroked the flank of one of the reindeer with a thoughtful hum. "We plan, and we prepare. Bunny, Sandy, you remember these things best. You tell us _everything,_ and we watch the dark places-"

"And I'll see what can be done with Pitch," Mother Nature added. "I might still have some relics from the Golden Age that may be of use, and I can rally some of the other nature spirits. We must hang together, or we will all hang separately."

Bunnymund hopped into the sleigh while Jack helped Mother Nature in. She kept one hand on Pitch as if to reassure herself that he was actually there, and she let Jack hold the other one.


	14. Chapter 14

Mother Nature hovered near Pitch like a broody hen, unwilling to let him out of her sight even as she helped Bunnymund take cuttings of the unearthly plants that filled her garden. Pitch slept peacefully, laid out on a mossy patch of ground beneath an ancient oak, flocked by butterflies. North and Toothiana were sorting through piles of ancient weapons, stopping only to drag Bunnymund off into the crumbling remains of what had no doubt once been a grand home to get his opinion on something. Sandman watched it all silently, as enigmatic as the moon.

Jack felt particularly useless; he'd never paid much attention to weapons outside of his staff, his knowledge of the things rising up out of Pitch's realm was still next to non-existent, and he had _no_ idea what to do.

"You should be pleased. Your insistence on interfering might well have saved us all." Mother Nature held out a hand to a tangle of climbing roses, letting them twine around her arm. The tightly closed buds opened for her, revealing petals the same shade as the summer sky. She plucked the largest of the blossoms and let the vines return to their wall before carefully attaching the rose to the shoulder of Jack's hoodie. "For luck."

To Jack's surprise, the rose had a sharp scent that made him think of the air moments before snow would start to fall. "So you're not mad anymore?"

"Absolutely furious, but I still forgive you. Now is not the time to be petty -- and I hope Bunnymund remembers that when I roust the Groundhog from his hole." She looked once more at Pitch. "Don't you just hate it when things become so much _bigger_ than you thought they would be?"

"Sure puts everything in perspective," Jack admitted.

"Promise me something?"

"Hm?"

A snowball dropped onto Jack's head, melting swiftly in the summer heat. "Don't forget who you are. Come whatever may."

Jack didn't bother to resist the chuckle welling up inside as he wiped the melt water from his eyes. "That's cheating."

Mother Nature's smile was sharp and not at all kind. "I've never seen the point in playing fair -- I'd much rather win. _And if you don't stop pretending to be asleep, I'm going to hit you with lightning again._ "

Pitch gave up his pretense of slumber, instead sitting up so his back rested against the old oak tree while he looked around with feigned indifference. "A much nicer prison than my last one," he noted smoothly. "I wonder... what is it you want so badly from me, dear girl, that has lead to this?"

"Did you ever think maybe we just want to _help_?" Jack snapped.

"Don't waste your breath." Mother Nature produced the iron box that held Pitch's tooth, dropping it into his lap. "I'm going to give you a chance to save yourself... but only a _chance_. I don't know what you'll find in there -- possibly your own destruction -- but the choice is yours."

Pitch picked up the box, turning it over in his hands. "You still haven't told me _why_."

"I am Mother Nature. That is reason enough."

Pitch's lip curled up in a sneer. "Your cryptic tendencies aren't as cute as you seem to think they are."

Mother Nature said nothing, instead gesturing Jack to follow her into the ruins of the house. "Sandman will keep watch," she whispered. "It's up to him now."

They found North meticulously disassembling something that looked the unholy love child of a mini-van and a blender while Toothiana gave orders to her fairies, sending them after the precious teeth; her duty didn't stop just because some eldritch abomination was rising from the depths. "Engine is shot," North announced, wiping his hands on his trousers, "but Bunny says he recognizes model and can make replacement parts." He hummed thoughtfully as he ran a finger down one of the protruding blades, then let out a surprised yelp, sticking his injured digit into his mouth. "Not even sure what this is _for_ , but Bunny was excited."

Mother Nature produced a handkerchief from one of her hidden pockets and proceeded to fuss over North's wound. "It was designed to bring down Dream Pirate ships, but when it's in proper working order, I'm sure it'll give an Abyssal pause. You see this right here? _This_ would punch through the hull, and then -- depending on how you had it configured-"

Out in the garden, Pitch Black let out an unearthly wail. Mother Nature closed her eyes, her words trailing off as she clenched her hands into tight fists. Her fingernails dug into her palms until blood dripped onto the floor, and she almost jerked away from North when he put his arms around her. The fairies made distressed noises, zipping for cover, while Toothiana's feathers fluffed up and Jack bit back a groan of his own.

And still the wail went on.


	15. Chapter 15

The weather was acting... oddly.

That was the only way Jack could describe it. It wasn't _wholly_ out of the norm, but it was different enough for people to take notice. A little warmer than usual in some places, a little colder in others. Odd storms would sweep through for a few minutes, then quickly disperse.

As summer moved into fall, Burgess experienced an unusually and mild season. A picture perfect autumn, with the leaves turning brilliant colors and the air carrying a crisp hint of winter to come, without any storms.

Through it all, Mother Nature was nowhere to be found. Sometimes, Jack would spot a few of her butterflies flitting about, and he was sure the weather in Burgess was entirely her doing, but she never once showed her face. The elves acted as go-betweens for her and North, hauling things to the workshop she thought he might find useful, but she never answered his requests for her to come visit. Her island sanctuary remained closed to the Guardians, surrounded by an ever-churning storm that none of them could get past.

Meanwhile, Jack did his duty. He spread joy and happiness and fun to children, he helped them believe, and he made their days just a little bit brighter.

Sometimes, when North was being too broody, or Bunny too snappish, or Tooth was too caught up in her work, he brought joy back to them, too. He'd drag North out of his workshop, reminding him that the Yetis could manage just fine without him for a few hours, or he's regale Bunny with the latest tales of Sophie's exploits until he could no longer fight the urge and went to see her for himself, or he'd grab Toothiana for an impromptu waltz around her palace (much to the delight of her fairies).

Sandman, when he could be found, would smile and bring Jack along on his rounds, crafting dreams just for him.

Sandman never needed to be reminded of joy. He was awesome like that.

Jack was helping Jamie and Sophie build a blanket fort in Jamie's room when Sophie let out a delighted gasp, rushing to the window to throw it open. Jack turned, fully expecting to find Bunnymund climbing through the window.

"Mermaid!" Sophie squealed with delight, holding her arms out in a clear demand to be picked up. Mother Nature pulled a face but acceded to the girl's request, barely wincing as Sophie's hands immediately tangled in her hair.

"Not a mermaid."

Outside, the wind rose and dark clouds rolled in to block out the moon. Jamie scrambled out of the half built fort, nearly undoing all the hard work while Mother Nature took a seat on the bed and began untangling Sophie's hands from her hair. It took some work; she'd been eating candy only a few minutes before, and she was _especially_ sticky. "Monty's gonna be so mad he didn't come over!" Jamie announced with undisguised glee.

Jack balanced on the top of the blanket fort, resting lightly on the broom handle that acted as the main support. "Hey there, stranger! I was starting to think you didn't like me anymore."

"Mermaid, mermaid!" Sophie continued to chant until a butterfly floated through the still open window, distracting her. It fluttered through the room, landing briefly on Sophie's nose before taking flight again, circling Mother Nature and the girl. The nature spirit held Sophie on her lap, stroking the tangled blonde locks.

"I thought I should take a little time to remind myself of a few things," Mother Nature explained. "I've been a bit busy of late."

"I bet," Jack muttered, fighting back the urge to ask about Pitch. There were some things he had absolutely no intention of _ever_ talking about in front of Jamie or Sophie, if he could avoid it, and Pitch Black topped the list.

Thunder rumbled in the sky, and Sophie let out a little squeak. Even Jamie eyed the first storm to hit Burgess in months with some trepidation. "I was just passing through," Mother Nature went on serenely, "and I thought your favorite children might enjoy a story. If you don't mind. Of course, you might want to finish your fortress first," she added, letting Sophie slip from her lap to chase the butterfly. Jack shrugged nonchalantly, pushing the window closed with his staff as the rain began to fall.

"You wanna help?" Jamie asked, suddenly full of eager anticipation. After her first visit, Jamie had become determined to quiz the nature spirit on each and every creature he'd ever read about in his books; he'd been disappointed that Jack had been unable to bring her back to visit.

"I would be delighted."

It turned out, Mother Nature actually knew a thing or two about building blanket forts. When construction was finished, she crawled inside with them, settling Sophie on her lap once more while her butterfly provided gentle illumination. Jack settled beside her, watching the storm outside. Rain slammed against the glass, and a sudden flash of lightning killed the question Jamie had started to ask.

"Once upon a time," Mother Nature began, "there was a little girl named Seraphina...."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Three stories and a long question-and-answer session later, Jack Frost and Mother Nature slipped out the bedroom window of Jamie Bennett, leaving the boy asleep next to his little sister. The storm had ended, leaving behind only the dark clouds and the distant memory of thunder.

"North's been worried about you," Jack told her, walking along the power lines with his staff slung across his shoulders. "Well, I say worried, I mean mooning like a lovelorn teenager."

Mother Nature drifted beside him as lightly as one of her butterflies, the wind of her passage shaking leaves from the trees. "I'll pay him a visit soon," she promised. "You have something truly remarkable in Jamie Bennett."

"Yeah," Jack smiled softly up at the parting clouds, "he's great."

"He's so much more than that." Mother Nature landed on the power lines in front of Jack, balancing on them as easily as he did. "His belief is _powerful_ , Jack. It's the kind of belief that will last until the day he dies. The kind that can infect others, convincing them to believe what he does." She waved at the sprawl of the town. "Surely you've noticed how quickly belief in you has spread. He's... Patient Zero, if you will."

"You make me sound like a plague."

"What I'm trying to say is that you should treasure him. He's literally one in a million."

Jack closed his eyes, basking in the gentle light of the moon. "Yeah, he-" His eyes snapped open, boring in to Mother Nature. " _Where's Pitch._ " He demanded, bringing his staff around. She looked past him back at the Bennett house. " _No._ "

Mother Nature caught Jack by the hood of his sweatshirt, keeping him from rushing back to Jamie's side. " _Please,_ Jack. You've seen what's coming, and we need him at full strength." Jack wriggled and squirmed, trying to get free of his sweatshirt, or hit Mother Nature with a bolt of ice, _something_. But the ice would not come, and Jack was firmly stuck. "We're both _right here_. Jamie's going to be fine."

"Pitch tried to kill him!"

"I know. _That_ is why we're staying here." Mother Nature released her hold on Jack, and he nearly tumbled off the power lines. A dark shadow slipped out beneath Jamie's window, chased by the sound of phantom hoof beats. "Ah, there he is..."

The shadow swept along the street, along the street, coalescing briefly beneath them. Jack Frost looked down into the face of Pitch Black, expecting to find a triumphant sneer and mocking words.

Instead, all he found was exhaustion, pain, and possibly even regret.

Pitch looked away first, melting back into the shadows. Jack felt the anger drain reluctantly away, watching him go. "It's a work in progress," Mother Nature noted. "He's... adjusting, still trying to find the balance between who he was and who he now is."

"Did it have to be Jamie?" Jack asked in a small voice.

Mother Nature nodded. "If there had been anyone else, or if I thought there was more time..." She smiled sadly. "Go to your Light, Jack. Do your duty, as I do mine, and my father does his." She turned, the wind lifting her into the night.

Mother Nature never saw the snowball coming.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's it, folks!
> 
> At least until I get around to writing the Sequal. Because really, the rising of the Greater Abyssals deserves it's own story.


End file.
